A high alert was sounded in Madhya Pradesh after two unidentified men on Friday morning decamped with two INSAS rifles and 20 rounds from an Army camp in Pachmarhi of Hoshangabad district, police said.
Though the incident occurred between 2.45 and 3 a.m., the Army informed the police only at 6 a.m. “Based on the CCTV footage, we could ascertain the two, after decamping with the rifles and the rounds, had already boarded a train towards Jabalpur around 4 a.m. from the Pipariya railway station,” said R.A. Choubey, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Hoshangabad.
Arriving at the station around 12 a.m. via a train bound for Bilaspur, the two hired a cab to the camp, 55 km away. Stopping the cab a little before the camp, they told the driver they would be back after meeting someone. Crossing the fence, they told two sentries they were officers, added Mr. Choubey. “They inspected their rifles and instructed them to call some official. In the meantime, they fled the spot,” he said.
“The accused wore black track suits and caps. We have launched a manhunt,” M.L. Chhari, SP, Hoshangabad, told reporters.
The cab was discovered by the police and the driver told them that one of the accused spoke Punjabi.
